HOWDY, MY NAME IS BILL STRONG, I'LL BE YOUR "24 HOUR MAN", ROUTING YOU INTO THE PAST TO SEE WHAT THE CIRCUS WAS IN DAYS GONE BY. IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, AND MISS WHAT IT USED TO BE, THEN COME ON ALONG AS WE GO DOWN THE ROAD FOLLOWING THE ARROWS BACKWARDS, TO "YESTERDAY'S TOWNS"!
IF YOU HAVE CIRCUS RELATED PICTURES YOU WOULD LIKE POSTED, SEND THEM TO,,,,yesterday1@verizon.net,,,,AND WE WILL TRY TO FIT THEM IN. "24 HOUR MAN" WILL HAVE THE FINAL DECISION ON POSTING.

About Me

Three years at CWM made me a real traditionalist, and I keep remembering Bob Parkinson saying, "I want the people to see what the circus used to be, not what it is today. That's what this site is about!

Monday, November 20, 2006

SNAPSHOTS: FROM PENNY'S SCRAPBOOK

This is the popular Television Team, "Sky King & Penny",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,& Penny

Here are Trudy & Penny Wilson with the popular singing group of the '50's, The 4 Ladds. This is either 1958, or'59, when the Wilson Family was touring with the Jack Joyce-George Hamid animal racing show, "Jungle Racing".

Here is Penny Wilson doing her Iron Jaw Act on a Fair in 1956.

This is Movie Actress, Pier Angeli, & Arden Kriesch on the Clyde Beatty Circus in 1952. Maybe Pier being there had something to do with Arden's mother Eileen Voise, & step father Harold Voise appearing in the movie, "Story of Three Loves", with her.

Dick Anderson told me this about the "Equilibrium" segment of this 1953 MGM film: Ricardo Montalban was set to be the flyer. He and Harold and Eileen Voise trained Ricardo for three months, and had him coming along great. Suddenly, the studio decided to put Kirk Douglas in the role. In his book, THE RAGMAN'S SON, Douglas said he went to Ricardo and said he wouldn't take the role if Ricardo still wanted it. Montalban graciously stepped aside, and Dick and the Voises had to start all over training Kirk. Dick said Kirk did 3 tricks--the shootover, the hocks-off and the crab, and made 3 flying returns. Dick, billed as Richard Anderson, wangled the speaking role of the catcher, Marcel. For the big finale trick, of Pier diving through the hoop, Dick said it took tremendous energy to pump his swing on the extended catch trap, and very scary to work at 80 feet on MGM's highest sound stage.

Eleine Voice' was the main liper in that act for the movie of the story of 'Three Love', the stunt of the jump' from above the rigging; The diving board was above the rigging fasterned to the flying rigging frame. This stunt was never repeated in Holliwood in any other time or any other movie. The main reason for this, there where no mechanics or safety belt involved in producing this kind of one of a kind stunt. Harold Voice who was the trainer of those supper movie star,was on the payrol of M.G.M for six month; returning to Sarasota he baught a Motel on Hiway 41 near the airport paid for in cold cash; Voicie and Eileen where going to retired for ever' But they could not take retirement' they whent back on the road in 1956; when the I.R.S. came around looking for the Taxes that were never payd in Hollywood by Harold Voice. A man by the name of PAUL KAY who was a clown on the Polack show at that time, save Harold Voice by making books and receipts showing where the tax money whent. By the time the I.R.S. got wise to that gimick , the circus has left town. No wonder the one that made-up the books ended up being Harold brothers circus manager and anouncer; the true is there is no business like the circus business. if you dont believed that' ask Norbu, WHHHOOOO??? 'NORBU' that's who!